Starting Salaries on the Rise

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has studied earnings from the class of 2004 and found that their starting salaries after college are higher than the graduating class before them.

Engineering majors are seeing the most cash -- though with narrow percentage changes from last year -- led by gains from chemical engineering graduates, who now earn $52,539 a year on average, up 0.3 percent from a year earlier.

Those graduating with a degree in computer science are seeing heartier increases. According to NACE, information sciences and systems grads earn $42,375 a year on average. That's up 10.7 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, computer science graduates make $49,036 a year, a gain of 4.1 percent.Business majors are also doing well.

Business administrationand economics/finance graduates received a 6.2 percent and a 3 percent boost in average pay to $38,254 and $40,630, respectively. The average starting salary for marketing grads jumped 2 percent to $34,712 and 1 percent to $41,058 for accounting majors.

Not all college graduates will find that salaries in their field are on the rise however. There are some industries that are actually on a decline. Students graduating with degrees in engineering, computers, or business will most likely sees a rise in starting salaries, or at least a stabilization.

An accredited online university, Capella University offers bachelor’s, master’s/MBA, doctoral, and certificate programs designed to take you to the forefront of your profession. Our competency-based curriculum delivers both foundational knowledge and real-world skills, so that what you’re learning in your courses is immediately applicable to your career goals.